Water is Life: Texas Aquatic Science- Chapter 1

On the Planet Earth, water is everywhere.
In our oceans, rivers, streams, and lakes, in our bath tubs, sinks and toilets. Most
important, water is in us. It makes up about 2/3 of the human body. So without water, well,
we just wouldn’t be. There are two kinds of water on the earth’s
surface. Salt water and fresh water. Each sustaining life- both in the oceans, and on
land. But did you know, out of the 358 quintillion
gallons of water we have on earth, ninety seven percent is salt water. Only a fraction
– three percent- is fresh water. Fresh water is what humans and animals need to survive.
And eighty percent of that water is frozen in the polar ice caps, leaving us just one
half of one percent to use. Even some of that water is too polluted to drink. What’s amazing
is, that we must share that tiny amount of fresh water with over 7 billion humans, and
hundreds of billions of animals on earth. You can see how fresh water is such a valuable
commodity. In some places around the world fresh water is valued more than gold, silver,
or even pizza. But we have one thing going for us. Most water,…
is reusable. In fact, all the water on the planet has been recycled countless times-we
drink the same water the dinosaurs drank! The trick is to make sure we use water wisely,
so we have enough to do the things we need most, and that means making smart choices.